The present invention relates to security devices and pertains particularly to a security rack or shelving for supporting and securing appliances and other equipment in position on open racks against theft.
The theft of appliances, office and laboratory equipment has become a trememdous problem in recent years. Recent developments in scientific and electronic equipment has rendered such equipment fairly compact and easily transportable yet very expensive and valuable. For this reason the theft of such equipment from open display racks in stores and from racks and support structures during burglaries is quite common.
Many approaches to the securing of such equipment against theft have been proposed in the past. One such approach has been to secure the equipment to display racks by bolting or by means of chains and cables. Such an approach is frequently successful in preventing theft during daylight hours from stores and the like but is ineffective for securing such equipment against theft during burglaries. Locked chains and cables are easily cut by bolt cutters and the like permitting easy removal of the equipment.
The following U.S. Patents are exemplary of the prior art approach to this securing of various appliances, equipment and the like against theft.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,868,605 issued Jan. 13, 1959 to O'Connor discloses a locker arrangement having chains 200 which extend through the sleeves of garments and are anchored at one end to the garment hanger and the other and being securable in position by means of locker doors or slots in locker doors.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,798 issued Apr. 3, 1973 to Locasey discloses a stand for supporting an appliance wherein a television set or the like is bolted to a table which is itself bolted to a floor plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,282 issued July 10, 1973 to Hemphill discloses an office equipment locking device including a bolt for securing a base plate of a typewriter to a table with a locking nut.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,276 issued Nov. 9, 1976 to Shontz discloses a theft protection device for appliances and portable office equipment, wherein a typewriter is illustrated as secured to a table or desk by means of a flexible cable or lock assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,973 issued Nov. 1, 1977 to Best discloses an equipment lock wherein office or laboratory equipment is secured to a table or the like by means of cables secured at one end to the equipment and locked at the other end beneath the table.
It is therefore desirable that some means be available to secure such equipment against theft.